The Warehouse

Here are the promised pictures of items from my warehouse .

We found Jimmy in a large box away from his base. When we mated them up he really looked great. He alone is taller than I am. This is a mannequin wearing a suit that a prop maker finished to look like this. His is in perfect shape and looks like the real thing until you touch him. I would like to meet the artist who made him. We all kind of love him.

The motorcycles are really cool. They spit exhaust and light up. I bet they work great on stage.
Someone put in a lot of time on these.

The Dragon puppet is a really cool thing. I wish I had a better photo, but I can not lift it by myself. It is the type used for Chinese New Year. It has places inside for 4 plus someone with the head. The fabric is all silk and in great shape. Not in the picture is a 2nd puppet. A tiger of the same size. What a crazy thing to find.

There is these gems and so much more. Some items of note:
The Wells Fargo wagon...This prop is driven on stage by the actor.
A player piano
A bust of Abe Lincoln, and a small cow.
It just keeps getting better and better!

Quick

Just a quick one today. GAL comes tomorrow! Yeah we are all very excited for her visit. She will be here for the long weekend. There will be knitting and yarn shopping I am sure.

I have been without my computer at work for 3 weeks, however today I arrived to find a brand new Dell on my desk with all my files restored! I am a very happy Rental Manager. The warehouse sale prep is going well. I will have some photos next week of some of the more interesting things. I found a Chinese dragon yesterday as well as a fake dead body, a bike taxi and a giant(5'tall) light bulb. Do I have the coolest job or what?

Update

So the camera needs batteries and its pouring outside so you will just have to take my word for it but there has been progress on the Tomten sweater. I should finish the hood tonight and maybe pick up for the first sleeve. I am very excited. I have yet to cast on for the second bubble wrap sock. I have been working away on the Tomten. I am right now pondering buttons for this sweater. I have looked a tons but can not seem to find what I am looking for. Truth be told I have no idea what I am looking for as I can't seem to make up my mind... Oh well I still have time
I should be getting my match for HSKS3 anytime now. Yeah! This should be a fun way to celebrate the end of the series. Hello swap pal!
I am dyeing some yarn for my SP11 pal tonight. I hope she likes it! Hello SP11 pals! I love doing the swaps. It is really cool to meet new knitters. It reminds me of the swaps we did in Girl Scout's at National Center West in WY. ( anyone else get the chance to go there?) There were girls there from all over the country and we all brought patches and little things we had made to trade with the other scouts. I still have one of the swaps I got in the summer of '87... a little lump of coal with gogglie eyes and foam feet. On the bottom it says NCW '87.

Moms visit recap

Well Mom made it home last night. We had a great time while she was here. There was fun with the Grand Monsters and time to just hang out. I loved seeing her with my little ones. They are a bit of a handful right now. MB likes to act like he is a pinball machine. Mom was not really sure to do when he does this. But all in all I think she loves spending time with her Grand Monsters. Jan (moms guide dog) and Winston get along well. The first day of the visit they spent a good amount of time trying to get it on but after that it was all good. Jan loves Hubby, she loves the MK's too but was ready to go home by the end of the week. MG's first grade class got to learn all about guide dogs last week. The teacher thought it was a great chance for the kids to learn about guides. It also made MG very poplar with her class.

There was knitting too. Mom made me a scarf out of the softest yarn. I can not find the ball band (it may be in Moms bag) but I think is is Misti International Hand Dyed Alpaca. The color is Spanish Rose. I love it! It feels so good around my neck. I gave her the rest of the yarn from her Rib warmer and she knit a hat. She will also start MG's poncho. I gave her my copy of Knitters Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmerman (Do I love my Mom or what?) She is planing a sweater. I also gave her my KnitPicks catalog so she is all set. I am glad she started knitting again. She was really enjoying it. We had time while she was here to just sit and knit. It was really great to share this with her. I did not get a picture of her in the gift I made. It is EZ's rib warmer in KnitPicks Adean silk in Hollyberry. I gave her the vest and the 4 balls of yarn I had left. I guessed well on the fit too.

Bye Mom, we miss you all ready. I don't get to spend enough time with you so the time we do get is really special too me. I love you and will see you soon.

Bit of a rambling post toady...coming up... the finished WCEP hat! and a visit from GAL! Oh I will have to visit the LYS with her...oh darn a trip to the yarn store... Whats a girl to do? hehehe.

I can't wait...

The Yarn

Here is the yarn Mom and I dyed for MG's poncho. Mom says it looks like the Mediterranean ocean so that's what we will call it. The color is close. there is a wide range of blues here. Mom has started already.

Mom goes home tomorrow. We will all miss her.

The first bubble wrap sock is done. I mangled the toe grafting so I will have to redo it. I should never try to graft toes with the MK's running around.

First day of school

Well the first day of school was today. MK was so excited she got up and dressed by 6:45 am. School starts at 8:50 so she had to wait a bit. In a stroke of luck her teacher from last year is now teaching first grade and MG is in her class again.(along with 16 of her classmates) MG is very happy about this because her best friend is in the other class.

MG picked the outfit you see her in. A leopard print top and black skirt. If she picks an outfit like this for the first day of 10th grade I might get worried. She had a great day and is looking forward to tomorrow. On Friday Mom and Jan will be going to the school to teach the first graders all about guide dogs. Mrs B asked us to do this last year but we could not work it out. I am so glad she can do it this year.

While MG was at school Mom and I went to another of my LYS (I only go to 2). We did not buy any yarn but Mom got me Ann Budd's new book. This book has everything you need to know to knit socks. I love it! I have a feeling it will be well loved. We also dyed the yarn for the poncho project. I will post some pictures of it when it is dry.

Hey GAL and GAH

You know who you are... Mom and I are going to dye some yarn tomorrow for MG's poncho. I am going to keep some of this yarn and Mom is going to take some home so she and GAL can both knit on one half while I work on the other half for a while. My plan is to send my half to GAH when I am about half way done and ask her to knit the rest. Then MK will have a Christmas gift from all the knitters in her life and no one has to knit the whole thing. I have not yet asked GAL and GAH about this plan but I have a feeling they will say yes. If they don't Mom and I have to knit the whole thing and they will miss all the fun. I am hoping GAL will do the edge as I suck at it.
Mom and I are having a great time. The MK's are being as cute as they can be. School starts tommrow. I will be back with a full report on that. BTW Mom and Jan are going to teach the kiddos all about guide dogs. Should be fun.

Quick one

Going to pick Mom up soon! The MK's are so happy they could burst!
I have been in touch with both my pals for SP11. My spoilee seems really cool...can't say more its a secret.
The Bubble Wrap sock is past the gussets and moving down the foot. I am loving this sock. The simple pattern gives it a lot of texture and the yarn is playing nicely too. I think I am going to get a second set of sock needles so I can do 2 socks at once like Lorena (my spoilee from SP10) this way no SSS for me
There is also freshly dyed yarn and new Christmas knitting for next time. As well as pictures of Mom with her hand knit gift.

Bubble Wrap

I finished the "at work" sock. I will not be knitting the 2nd sock but I will explain that later. Here is the new pair I am working on. The pattern is from Sock Bug and the yarn is Lorna's Laces in the Red Rover colorway. The color in the pic is close. Kind of a pinkie red to reddish lav. I chose this colorway because it reminded me of some of my favorite color filters I use when doing lighting design. Very "musical theatre" as we say. I like to use a bright red in every show I do. it is sort of my thing. When I can not get away with this color on stage I hang a light backstage with this color ( Roscolux 27). If you want to know more about color filters let me know.

As for the sock info I am using my KnitPicks size 1 dpn's. The pattern is super easy to remember and the yarn is soft and yummy. The pattern calls for 2 circs but I love my dpn's. I have put the sweater knitting on hold for a while... Why you might ask? Well you see today was the 6th day in a row with temps in the upper 90's. It is so humid right now that you can feel the wall of ick as soon as you open the door. Winston is not happy about this. He does not get much relief at night either. He is staying in.

Mom will be here on Friday! The MK's are beside themselves with joy. MG will start 1st grade next week while Mom is here so we will be busy. She still has to pick her outfit and get her hair cut.

The babysitter took away all toys made in China today and MG is very upset that her Polly Pocket has been recalled. She has told us she does not want any new toys from china. She has been checking everything she can find. Jeez one more thing to worry about.

Tomten

So the little tweed jacket I am working on is the Tomten by Elizabeth Zimmerman. The yarn I am using is Jo Sharp DK Tweed in a nice earthy brown color. I am loving this yarn. It is wool with a touch of silk and a wee little bit of chasm ere. I love the feel of the fabric soft but not too soft. all I have so far is 30 rows of garter stitch so no pic today. I do feel like I picked the right yarn for the pattern. The Tomten is a Swedish gnome type guy who does good deeds. When I read this I remembered the Brownie story from Girl Scouts. How could I not knit one?
The whole thing is garter so it should knit up pretty fast. In her pattern EZ tells us that the garter stitch stretches, so the sweater will grow with the wearer. I hope this is true as MB is growing like a weed! I think I will knit on button bands instead of a zipper. I may have to try to knit one of these for myself someday. Did you see Brooklyn Tweeds version? So cool! I like EZ's patterns I am not always sure how it will come out but so far if I just keep plugging away it turns out all right in the end.
MG has asked me for a poncho. I am not a big fan of the poncho but if that is what she wants I guess I will knit one for Christmas. I have looked at tons of patterns but I am not really feeling it. After Tomten is done we will see. I kind of want to make her a Tomten too. I am sure when she sees MB's she will want one, never fails.

All the World's a Stage

This is a photo of my desk at work. see all the pretty lights?( note the wall is just plain white) part of my job is to sell folks the stuff they need to create these effects in their theatre. As a result, when the bosses built the new office/shop/show room they wanted to be able to showcase these products. Which is great. They also wanted a friendly, knowable face out front to greet people as they come in. This person would be me. I don't mind this most of the time, However I do not like the feeling of being "on stage" all the time.I am a techie dammit! I avoid the light at all cost! I mean what is a girl to think when there is a giant bolt of lighting over her head all the time?I have finally talked the boss into changing the everyday lighting to something a little less dramatic. The color is a little softer and the patterns more muted. I can still bring up the stained glass window when I need to show it. Why do I share this all with you? Well is your office this cool? Did you have your desk custom designed and built by nice guys who like you? I did. Is it not the coolest desk?

In knitting news I am done with the heel of the 1st jaywalker. I like the look of it but the fabric is very stiff. I have a pair of plain socks going as well for at work knitting... and a new project is under way... A little tweedy little jacket for MB... more on that later...

The Floor

Look! we put in a floor! We have had this done for a while now I just haven't blogged it yet. The floor went in pretty darn easy in one afternoon. See that little bit of floor by my foot?

That is all we had left. That is it. Is my hubby good or what? less than a foot left over. We had cut one piece wrong but we were able to use those pieces in other places. I am very pleased. The DriCore sub floor keeps the floor warmer too. I have started the painting. I am not sold on the color Hubby picked yet. I thought it would be darker. it looks kind of grape to me. We will see...

Hubby is hard at work on the platform seating so it is coming along. I just hope we get everything done in time for MG's birthday party...

In knitting news Moms gift is done. I did all of the finishing over the weekend and it is ready to go. I have knit this pattern before it is really very simple and turns out beautifully. I picked a yummy yarn too so all the better. I will post it when it stops raining and I can take good pictures. I am rather proud of myself aren't I? The Jaywalker is waiting for a heel flap. I got some new sock yarns from Knit Picks and a new sock is otn. It is Essential in the new Tuscany colorway. more on that later...

Secret Pal 11

So I am doing the Secret Pal thing again. I had so much fun the last time so here is my Q&A



1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Right now I am loving the wool and wool blends. I love the alpaca and cashmere blends. I also love to try new yarns so anything is good. I am not a fan of furry/novelty yarns and not a big acrylic fan.



2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? right now a zip lock bag, an old pen cop and a pencil case.



3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been knitting on and off for most of my life. I picked it up again about a year ago and have not put it down since. I learned from my Great Aunt.



4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes I do. For some reason both Hubby and me show up as him. He has not put anything on this list. You can find it here



5. What's your favorite scent? I like lots of different. Right now I am loving sage citrus vanilla and woodsy scents. Not really a floral type gal



6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I do like sweats. Dark chocolate and Carmel. Mint.
Yum



7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I do not spin, but would like to try. I like to dye yarn (mostly sock yarn). Hubby and I are building a home theatre.



8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Not really a country gal. Not really a Rap chick other than that I am pretty open. I can play mp3's and cd's. In my car cd player right now is Queens Greatest Hits.



9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Red is my favorite color, But I love color. I am not a fan of pastels or neon colors but everything else is cool. Earth tones are what I tend to go for. But let me just say I am all for trying new things.



10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Married 11 years to Hubby, great guy love him!. I have two Monsters, I mean kids MG almost 7 and MB almost 4


11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Have not had a poncho since I was a kid, but all cold weather gear is welcome here!



12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?I must say a new favorite thing is socks. I think I caught the bug from my sp10 spoilee. I am also enjoying my first sweaters this year.



13. What are you knitting right now? Jaywalker socks, Tubey see side bar



14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? yes!!



15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I like bamboo best for the larger sizes and my Knit Picks dpn's for the tiny ones. love those
points


16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? I believe I will very soon



17. How old is your oldest UFO?lets not go there. We must never speak of it again



18. What is your favorite holiday? I love Christmas with Halloween right behind



19. Is there anything that you collect? I collect cut and pressed glass, books, pop culture, yarn



20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I don't get any magazines. I would very much like to knit the Rouge Hoodie I have seen all over blogland. I would also very much like to get my invite to Ravelry.



21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? toe up socks, I also want to try a fair isle sweater



22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes I Am! I am a us size 7 1/2. I don't know the measurements of my foot as I try them on a lot as I go and I have only done a few. If you want em ask me and I check it out.



23. When is your birthday? 04 May



24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? Sadly I am not. I had some pc drama getting on the list and there are 10,000 or so in front on me ( I rounded this # down) and so like 10,000 others ( and the 4000 behind me) I will wait. I know they are working really hard to get it open so I will try to be good.

Gaff tape can fix anything

So Hubby went to go out to the store last week and found he had locked his keys is his work van. He tried in vain for about 30 minutes to hook the door handle with a bent up coat hanger and pull up to open the door. I go out and ask him: "Well do you pull the handle toward you to open the door?" He smacks himself in the head, takes my keys and goes to the store. When he returns he manged to get the window down about 1/4 inch so he took a roll of gaff tape and some dowel rods we had in the garage, taped them together (a-la the Brady kids). Then he taped a hook to the end... We got the door open on the first try. The door opening stick now hangs in the garage with the rest of the tools.
For those who don't know Gaff tape is a cloth tape. Unlike duck tape it does not leave a sticky mess on everything and you can get it off if you want. It come in many colors but black is most common. Any theatre techie will tell you it is the best tape in the world and to never use duck tape in their theatre. Over the years I have used it to tape costumes together repair torn stage curtains, make props, tape up cables...the list is long. I never leave home without it. You can get this fabulous tape from your local theatrical supplier. Leave a comment if you need help finding it.

Jaywalker

Here is the Jaywalker socks (link to pattern in the side bar)

They are coming along. I am working on the heel flap of sock #1. Not that fast of a knit but I love the way they look.

I also added links to the blogs I read in the side bar. Check them out when you get a chance.

Something Good

Remember I had said I would be an angel for sp10? Well it turned out that Sue got a really lovely package before I could even get it together! I am really glad it worked out for her. Check out what else just happened to her here be sure to read both August 3 and 4 entries. Go ahead I will wait...
How cool is that! What a lucky girl!

I don't know what to say

I got home from work and hubby told me Mom had called and I should call her back. So I did... She had bad news for me. My God-mother, who I was named for died sometime this last week. We don't know how or why or even when, she had not called her sister for a few days and did not answer her phone. Diane called one of Sandy's friends and asked him to go check on her.... She had died in her trailer all alone. I can't think of anything worse than that...She had been in a lot of pain for several years after a work injury... I should be happy that she is not in pain anymore...
I can't believe she is gone. I never knew how much I missed her until just now...
Good Bye Sandy, I hope you know that we love you and will keep your memory alive. I will always remember you...

Baseball and yarn

I posted yesterday that the Cubs were in first place, so they lost last night, of course they did! They are still tied for first though. No more posts about the Cubs till their season is over!!!
Hubby has been watching Barry Bonds try to catch Hank Aaron, I wish he would just hit the damn home run so we can watch something else! Maybe today is the day. All of this Baseball watching has given me some good knitting time though. I am working on a stealth project as well as a new pair of socks. I have pics to post but can't from work! I will post them this weekend. I am knitting Jaywalkers. I know I am the last knitter in blog land to knit these but I just started this sock knitting thing so I don't feel too behind. I like the way it looks I just wish I could do those double decreases a little faster. I have solved my SSK problem so I can knit all the socks I want!
Which leads me to the stash building I have been doing. I went to my LYS yesterday and got some great stuff. I need to take pictures outside to show the colors best. Those will post this weekend as well. Lets just say it was so much fun to walk in and buy whatever I wanted! I am a bad shopper, I always feel like I am spending too much but not this time! The 7 hanks of Koigu and 2 balls of Debbie Bliss cashmerino are happily getting to know the rest of the stash in my closet. The Koigu is just beautiful and the DB is so soft I want to just pet it all day.
one more thing: Mom will be here 2 weeks from today! GAL comes 4 weeks from today! Mom and I are just going to enjoy being together for a week. She will be here for the first day of school. MG wants to take her and her guide dog for show and tell. GAL will be learning to knit socks when she is here. I got her some dpn's and dyed her some sock yarn. Yes I know she reads this but I told her about it already so its all good. I can't wait to see them, one advantage to being so far apart is that the time together is truly special and we treasure every minute. I have some good friends here but there is just nothing quite like having my Mom and Aunt close to me. I am lucky to have them both.

1st Place

OK so today is August 2nd and the Chicago Cubs are in first place! yeah!
now no more talking about it. I don't want to jinx them!

In other news. I got a big bonus from the boss this week! Most of it will go to cover bills, upcoming birthdays for hubby and MG, and back to school stuff. However, I did save some back for some stash enhancement.( a pretty good size chunk) I placed an order with Simply Sock Yarn for a skein of Shaffer Anne and one of Claudia hand painted. I have read alot about these yarns and just really wanted them in the stash! There is a a good amount of yarn $$ left to be spent. I am thinking I may treat myself to some Noro...
GAL got me a ball winder for my birthday so I may get a swift to go with it... It will have to wait untill she comes for her visit.
Mom comes in 2 weeks! I can't wait to see her. We don't get to spend enough time together.